Correspondence.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 2295, 29 August 1889, Page 2

Correspondence.

Local Employment

(To the Editor,) Slit,—Kiudly allow me space in your columns to placo a few etude thoughts before my follow townspeople respecting the future of our adopted town, I do not wish to pose as it prophot, or pretend that I can see into tho future, but I think by a little comparison with similar towns in older countries some idea of tbo ; future of any country town can be approximated, i.e., provided no minerals or other articles of com. merce are discovered or manufactured to any great 1 extent. 1, and no doubt many more of your readers, can call to mind country towns in the old country about the size of Masterton, which have remained almost stationary for many years, hardly a new house being erected in a decade. Towns of t'lis class are just big enough to supply tho requirements of tho population for a certain radius round, and if nothing occurs to arouse them out of their ordinary ovory day life it w ; ll take a number of yeara to alter or increase their size materially, I might also refer to towns of the same description in the Slates which, although comparatively young, aro almost stationary so far as new buildings aro concerned. Taking a retrospective vinw we liud that Masterton having made big strides, both in building and in tlia speculative value of property, in what is now called tho good times, was brought to a sudden stop in 1879 by thodepres. sioti, and tho screw applied by tho banks, After a year or two the cloud of depression lifted a little; confidence gradually became restored, some little demand arose for town and suburban sections, but not at more than about two thirds of the price they had been selling at before tho fall, The building trido, and por.haps tbo price of land incroasod up to about three years ago, since which it lias gradually dediued until at present, it may fairly bo 6aid that the building trade is dead and likely to remain so as long us the houses exceed very considerably the number of families, thorn aro to occupy them, and employees are in excess of employment, For a number of years i havo contended that unless some labor employing industry was estab- j lished in the vicinity of Masterton the town would soon be at a standstill, but 1 have generally beon met with tho reply, that Masterton would hold its own; a phrase which as yet I have not thoroughly deciphered the meaning of, Who can say wo are not at present experiencing the truth of my anticipations? A fuw years ago nearly half of the residents here wero either directly or indirectly supported by tho building trade; as this dwiudled down those depending on it had either to turn their attontion to somo other source for & livelihood or seek for fields that are green and pastures new; the result of this was to empty more houses, every one of which not only helps to kill the building trade and reduoe the value of house property and building seotions, but it reduces the expending power nnd consumption of the community, which in the aggregate is felt severely by all those left, from the storekeeper in Queenstreet to the agriculturists 'and dairyman at a distance in the country, It appears to me that our townspeople do not look at things in the right light, They seem to think that if any industry is worth starting it should be initiated by those settlers who aro directly benefited by it, when it is probable that the majority ul our population would receive almost as much benefit in an indirect manner. If settlor's wait for the working class, those whose whole capital consists of a strong industrious body, to cooperate and start some industry, they are likely to wait a long while, What is required is capital and some good busiuess ability, both of which should ba available in Masterton. Without noticing any industry in particular, it doe? sects grange that

m should import pickles and sauces "% from England, tinned fruits from ' Ciililbriii'j, jams and fruit from other colonics and other parts of this colony, when we have plenty of suitable land; some labourers, imd many more we had a few years since, For these We Inivo plenty of good plain food, Hour, meat, and butter, tbo chief props of tlie human body, besides all the requisites of civilisation at the lowest price possible, I have only touched on tins subject, space iiJm permitting mo to do more, but I hope clearer beads and abler pens will take it up, resulting in practical good to all of us, and increasing our town so that the numo applied to it by some ot our enthusiastic settlers shall not be misapplied, that is, the Chicago of Now Zealand,—l am, kc, J.C.A. .Commercial.

Messrs Lowes and lorns report at thoir Stock Sale yesterday entries jet \ were considerably in excess of list ( jj|--advertised, all lines selling. Sheep maintained previous rates. The mutton were fight weights. No betif.entered. Store bullocks wero yell represented, as also dairy stock. AH cattle showed a slight improvement. TbeWollowing'. are the rates obtained:—flat wethers lis Od to 12s; stores 10s; fat ewes 1)8 8d to 10s; store ewes 7s (id; owes in lamb 8s; culls 2s; hoggets, poor, fis. Store bullocks 55s to GCs; yearlings 22k; store cows 30s; dairy stock, beat,*l 10s to .£5 us; poor, £2 to £B. Ho&s from £8 for docent hacks, to £i for poor sorts.